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A trial to evaluate the Milk Marketing Board beef shape assessment scheme for Friesian/Holstein sires

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

K. N. Cook  and
Jennifer M. Newton
K. N. Cook
Affiliation:
Milk Marketing Board, Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 0EL
Jennifer M. Newton
Affiliation:
Milk Marketing Board, Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 0EL
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Abstract

The Milk Marketing Board beef shape (BS) score for a sire is derived from the beef conformation assessments made during the routine inspection of his first lactation daughters in the Dairy Progeny Testing Scheme. The trial compared the scores for seven Friesian/Holstein sires with the beef characteristics of their steer progeny. Two groups of cattle, 189 in total, all out of Friesian dams, were used in the trial. The dams were assessed for BS. The cattle were reared on a standard grass/cereal system designed to achieve an overall target live-weight gain of 0·85 kg/day and slaughtered at 530 kg live weight. An assessment of BS was made at seven points during the lifetime of each animal. Carcass classification and assessment together with dissection of the shin joint was undertaken by the Meat and Livestock Commission. In addition to this, 40 carcasses representing high and low BS scores were taken for full dissection of the left side.

The BS score of the dam had no significant effect on the score of the calf at any point during its life. The relationship between the sire BS score and the calf score did not become significant until the calf was 12 months old (P < 0·01) and was still significant immediately prior to the slaughter of the calf (P < 0·05). Carcass conformation scores showed highly significant progeny group differences (P < 0·001). The regression of the sire progeny group means, corrected for estimated proportion of subcutaneous fat, on the sire BS scores was significant (P < 0·001). The carcasses in the high BS score group had a significantly greater weight of lean than those in the low BS score group.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 40 , Issue 1 , February 1985 , pp. 33 - 37
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1985

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References

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